Julia Louis-Dreyfus on “Tuesday” and podcast “Wiser Than Me”

For Julia Louis-Dreyfus, real life can be as funny as the comedian herself. “I had the great opportunity to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” she said. “Can you believe they spelled my name incorrectly? They spelled Luis. LUIS. And I have the incorrect part. It’s framed in my office, just as a reminder, just when you thought it was perfect and you got it? No.”

Don’t be fooled by her modesty. The 63-year-old actor more than achieved it. She made her debut on “Saturday Night Live” in 1982, before going on to play some of TV’s most iconic women, including Elaine Benes, the sarcastic best friend on “Seinfeld”; and Selina Meyer, the narcissistic vice president of “Veep.” Along the way, she won a record 11 Emmys, the Mark Twain Award for American Humor and the National Medal of Arts.

Known for her impeccable comedic timing, the star isn’t afraid to get involved in drama. His new film, “Tuesday”, is a reflection of this. Louis-Drefyus plays Zora, a mother struggling to deal with the fate of her dying daughter, Tuesday.

Asked what attracted her to the role, Louis-Drefyus said: “I was immediately intrigued because it was so ‘over the top’. It’s really kind of an adult magical fiction fairy tale and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to take this leap, I’m going to do this.’

The film’s fantasy comes in the form of a talking parrot who is the personification of death. When he visits Tuesday, Zora’s maternal instincts are put to the test.

To watch the trailer for “Tuesday”, click on the video below:

Morales asked, “Are you trying to get him to spare your daughter’s life?”

“Yes, ‘go there,’ to that place, to your worst fear and nightmare as a parent,” Louis-Dreyfus responded. “It was extremely difficult, to be honest. I had to call home a lot.”

She felt the story was a chance to make people think: “It’s an opportunity to talk about grief and death and dying. I think it’s a taboo subject.”

Does she think about how to have these conversations? “Yes. I think about this a lot. I think endings, in a strange way, can be similar to beginnings. There is something sacred about endings that needs to be honored and recognized.”

Having survived breast cancer in 2018, living her life with meaning and joy is what Louis-Dreyfus strives for today. Her passion project is the “Wiser Than Me” podcast, where she talks to older women she admires and absorbs their life lessons. She said, “I feel like older women disappear from our culture and our society, and there’s a lot of wisdom to be gained from these women. They’re on the front lines of life. And I want to listen to them.”

The conversations are deep and personal about topics such as aging, sexism and self-acceptance. “Maybe it’s because of my age and, you know, maybe it’s because I had a really bad cancer scare,” she said. “And it kind of brought certain things into focus for me, in a way. It was such a gift to have the opportunity to talk to these women and explore these topics.”

Last month, “Wiser Than Me” took home the Webby, one of the most prestigious awards in podcasting, for podcast of the year. Delivering the Webbys’ “five-word acceptance speech” for their award, Louis-Dreyfus said, “Listen to the old women, mothers!”

Family is never far away for Louis-Dreyfus. She calls her 90-year-old mother, Judith Bowles, at the end of each podcast episode. The actress has been married to her college sweetheart, actor Brad Hall, for 37 years. Their two sons, Henry and Charlie, appear to be following in their parents’ footsteps in the family business. “You know, it’s so funny because I didn’t expect that to happen,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “I help them with auditions. I read with them. You know, everyone does these self-tapes now, so I’m often the actor on the other side. I help them tweak scenes.”

“How do they follow your advice?” Morales asked.

“They get it!” she laughed.

As they embark on their careers, Louis-Dreyfus reflects on hers. Asked if there was a moment when she realized she had achieved it, she replied: “I don’t think about my life and my world like that. We’re like part of a traveling circus, you’re going to the next town, you’re looking for the next show.”

“Do you ever feel comfortable in the silence, maybe not having an upcoming show?”

“What, am I giving off crazy vibes?”

“No, no, I’m just thinking, because I know if I’m not getting emails or if my phone isn’t ringing, it’s uncomfortable,” Morales said.

“Yes, I know what you mean. I’m a bit of a workhorse,” said Louis-Dreyfus. “I absolutely enjoy my downtime. But I don’t like too much downtime. I like working.”

And she’s willing to take risks. After all, Julia Louis-Dreyfus says she has nothing to lose and everything to gain: “I’m just trying to get as much juiciness out of life as possible, and I’m looking for adventure and trying new things. . I’m having fun!”

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Story produced by Michelle Kessel. Editor: Lauren Barnello.